Wheel.



J. 0. LIGHTHOUSE.

WHEEL.

APPLIOATION IILED MAR. 30,1907.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

a sums-SHEET 1.

FIJ.

ETNESSES:

J. G. LIGHTHOUSE.

WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1907.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG 8.

FIG.7

oaE 31a s R I IIII I... 3 I T H 6 g I |O k JOHN C. LIGHTHOUSE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed March 30, 1907. erial No. 365,596. 1

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. LIGHTHOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheels, of which the followlng is a specification.

This invention relates to wheels, and consists in the construction and combination of the elements herein described and claimed. In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a side view of a wheel constructed in accordance with this invention, partly broken away to show interior construction; Fig. 2 is a section on 1 line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inner face of a portion of one wheel center; Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of one tire-section; Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an enlarged crosstogether by bolts 2: A circular rib 3 on one center touches a corresponding rib 4 on the opposite center, and thus the said centers can be drawn together only to a certain limit. Circular ribs or lugs 3 and 4, curved or rounded on their outer faces to form a tire-socket, extend around the wheel centers outside of the ribs 3 and 4.

The tire or wheel tread is made in sections, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, these sections are of equal size and are radial. Each section consists of a block 5 of leather, rubber, rawhide, or any other compressible material adapted for use as a tire, having a metal plate 6 on each radial side. Rivets or countersunk screws 7 fasten the plates solidly to said blocks. In Fig. 4 the form of the plates 6 is clearly shown. The inner ends 8 thereof are semicircular, and notches 9 are out under said ends. Grooves 10 in the Wheel centers are formed to receive accurately the plates 6 and the semicircular heads 10, and thereby hold the tiresections firmly in position. In order to fasten the tire-sections still more firmly together, a hole 11 is drilled in each, and a circular belt or rod 12 is passed through the entire set. The'said rod may be sufiiciently pliable to permit its being sprung open to place the sections u on 'it. After the last section is in lace, t e ends of the rod are brought toget er and tightened by means of a right-and-left nut 13 thus forcibly eontracting all the tire sections upon the wheel, compressing the contiguous surfaces of the blocks 5, and making the whole series of tire blocks a solid tire mass. The nut 13 may, for convenience, be toothed on the outside, and adapted to be turned by a worm 14, which is journaled in a proper point of one wheel center. (Fig. 6.) The shaft 15 of said worm may project to the outside of the wheel center and have on it a squared end 16 to fit a socket-wrench or key.

It will be understood that the tire sections are placed on one wheel-center before the other wheel-center is bolted thereto, and are not removable when the structure is complete, as in Figs. 1 and 2, etc.

To prevent the blocks 5 from sliding between the wheel-centers circumferentlally, radial ribs or lugs 17 are formed on the inner face of each wheel-center, (Fig. 3). These enter grooves 18 in the blocks 5. An additional preventive of slip may also be provided, such as bolts or studs 19, each of which is fastened by a screw 20 to one plate .6, and extends inwardly through recesses in the ribs 3 and 4. The nut on each of said bolts is tightened against the inner face of one rib.

The blocks 5, when new, are preferably fastened between the plates (3, so as to project beyond the ends thereof, and when so made, a gap or interstice 21 .will occur between every two blocks. As the wheel is used, the material in the blocks 5 will, on account of its resilience, become crushed or compressed to some extent, and in a short time will fill up the spaces 21, and the tread or tire-face will then be a continuous unbroken surface. The trend may be of any desired form, corrugated, flat, or rounded, &c. In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a form of wheel in which the tire-sections are more readily removable for renewal; they may,

as to form two .converging sides 22 and a 1.10

hich fit the grooves and the tire Qconneeting portion A spacer 24 is fas-' tened by a rivet 25 between the semicircular heads, 26 of the sides 22, and the plate 22 1s thus a solid structure. Holes- 27 permit the :passage of the rod 12 through the whole of plates, and hook-bolts 28 may be used in the same manner as the bolts 19 previously described. In the flat transverse portion 23 is a slot 29, adapted to receive a T-sha ed head 30-on a plate 31. The plate 31, w en placed as shown in Fig. 11, cannot be separated from the .plate 22,. but. when turned one quarter around, the T head 30 will 4 aline with the slot 29, and said plate may be readil detached. The tire blocks 32 are each astened to-one plate 31, and said plate and block, together with a plate 22, constituteone tire-section. The removal of a block 32 from the set may be'done as follows :--After taking off one of the wheel-centers all the tire sections may be lifted together from the opposite wheel-center, and the rod 12 loosened somewhat; then, the section which is to be removed is swung around on said rod, in a 7 plane at right angles to the flat sides of the wheel, until clear of all other sections. Any block 32 and plate 31 may then be turned 90 degrees, or until the T-head is in line with the slot 29 and said block and plate may then be pulled out. A new block may be inserted by reversing the process.

In the modification shown in Fi s. 9 and 10, the tire sections consist of solid locks 33 of. resilient-material, dovetailed into blocks I socket in the wheel-centers 1.. A circular 1; 'rod 12 Passes through all the blocks 34, as in i 1;. the former case. The blocks 33 have T- 40 shaped orbeveled heads 35 which engage correspondingly shaped grooves in the 'blocksB ii TTheflblocks 33 are removable in groove and-a tire block attached to said plate and projecting from said socket; and

' means for forcibly contracting the set of tire sections against each other and tower ,the center of the wheel.

2. The combination of separable pla. s, together constituting a tire socket having a groove at the bottom thereof, radial ribs on the plates in said socket; tire sections fitceased ing a plate extendin ting in said so ket and grdove, each havijn a plate extending into said socket an groove and tiie block attached to said I, plate and projecting from sai Sock t;

means for fastening a series? of "said se'c-,

tions to each other.

3. The combination of separah together constituting a tire socket j groove at the bottom thereof, which is educed in dimensions at the point of conneci tion with said socket portion; tire sections?" oove, each hav-y,

fitting in said socket'and ing a plate adapted to fit 1n said socket and groove and a tire block attached to said plate and projecting from said socket; and

means for forcibly contracting the set of tire sections a ainst each other and toward thecenter of t e wheel.

4. The combination of separable plates,

together constituting a tire socket havm a T-shaped groove at the bottom thereof; tire sections each having a late provided with a T-shaped head, and tting in said socket and groove and a tire block attached to said plate; and means for forcibly contracting the set of tire sections against each other and toward thebenter of the wheel.

5. The combination of separable 'plates, together constituting a tire sockethaving a groove at the bottom thereof; tire sections tting in said socket and groove, each havgroove and a tire b ock attached to said plate and rojecting from said socket; acircular r passing through said sections; and means for tightening said rod for forcibly contracting the set of tire sections against each other and toward the center of the wheel.

6. The combination of separable plates,

into said socket and together constituting a tire socket having agroove at the bottom thereof, radial ribs on the plates in said socket; tire sections. fitting in said socket and groove, each havin a plate extending into said socket an groove and a.tire block attached to said plate and. rojecting from saidsocket; a circular ro passing through said sections; and means for tightening said rod for fastenin the series of sections to each other.

. 7. he combination of separable plates,

together constituting a tire socket having a oove at the bottom. thereof, which is reuced in dimensions at the point of connection with said socket portion; tire sections fitting in said socket and groove, each h'aving a plate adapted to fit in said socket and groove and a tire block attached to said plate and projecting from said socket; a circular f0 passing through said sections; and means for tightening said rod for forcibly contracting the set of tire sections agamst each other and toward the center of the wheel.

8'.-" '.-The combination of separable plates,

together constituting a tire socket having a rod for forcibly contracting the set of tire T-shaped groove at the bottom thereof; tire sectlons against each other and toward the' sections each having a plate provided with en er Of the wheel.

a T-shaped head, and fitting 1n said socket JOHN C. LIGHTHOUSE. 5 and groove and a tire block attached to Witnesses:

said plate; a circular rodpassing through L. THONL said sections; and means for tightening said D. GURNEE. 

